Most of my readers love this one. One VERY easy way to save money is by making a phone call. To whom? You may ask. How about your credit card company, your cable company, your cell phone provider and even your utilities.
Credit card debt is one of the biggest factors in personal finance. Washington D.C. basically approved a bill written by Citi, Bank of America, WaMu and many other large bank and loan companies. The interest rate they can charge you is astronomical, and they can do this legally. All with fine print! But the power of the consumer still does exist. The competition among the banks is especially big with the current economy; they are losing billions and looking to foreign sources for income. Great for our economy and national security right? How do we take advantage of this competition? With a phone call! I have saved with a simple phrase, and that phrase is "okay then, I would like to transfer my balance and cancel my account" They do not like to hear that, you will have to trust me on this one. If you say you want a lower interest rate, a special deal on a balance transfer, and they say no, use my phrase! I can almost guarantee, they will put you on hold, "talk to their manager" and offer you a better deal. If they still refuse, go ahead and cancel and use the wonderful source that is the Internet to find a better deal. They are out there.
Wait; there is news that is just as terrific. Are you in an area that is eligible for cable, TV via the phone lines i.e. Verizon Fios, or satellite? Which ever one you have, the other one wants you. I have known more than a few people who have saved HUNDREDS of dollars per year, by saying they want to cancel their current service because they are switching. They WILL offer you a better deal than what you currently have. But do take note; you may have to sign on for an extended contract. The same reasoning works with your cell phone provider, and with number portability out there, feel free to switch as long as your service remains the same. In most rural areas throughout the country, the major provider's service is pretty equal.
You can not negotiate with your utilities for the most part, but to make budgeting a lot easier, most of them offer a budget plan. Use it, and it will make your monthly budgeting all the more simple.
I did not use numbers here to prove my point, that is nearly impossible with the variances is interest rates and service costs. If you like, use a simple number like $1000 and calculate monthly payments with different interest rates with a calculator available on the Internet. The savings could be hundreds or even thousands. So do me a favor, make that call.`
